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Don’t you just love it when WordPress goes all Christmassy and falling snowflakes appear across the page.

Eeek, can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted! And I’ve published another novel since then too.Failing Flynn Matthewsis available on Amazon now and only 99p! It’s “totally addictive reading” and apparently an “‘Effin’ awesome book!!! This is every bit as gripping, enthralling and at times frustrating as the first book.You won’t want to put it down until you get to the end.” Thank you dear reader 🙂 and thanks to all the other 5 star reviewers too for Ordering Flynn Matthews and Failing Flynn Matthews!

I’m in the middle of formattingWorking Flynn Matthews so you never know it might be published before Christmas. Move over Ellie, there’s a new girl in town.

A short story of mine, The Stuff of Fairytales, has been published in Bridge House Publishing‘s anthology, Glit-er-ary and is available in book and kindle form. There’s a wonderful variety of stories, some sad, some funny and some glittery 😉

I love the cover of the Anthology.

Click on cover to take you to Amazon

A little teaser from The Stuff of Fairytales:

I’ve been paid a mighty sum to kill her. It would cost the villagers nothing to do it themselves but they are simple god-fearing folk who don’t want her blood staining their hands…darkening their souls. Still I’m not complaining as their fear gives me work.

I collect her from the gaol, shackled at the ankles and wrists and wrapped in an oversized cloak. People never cease to surprise me. They want her dead but still they give her protection against the winter cold. A tiny slip of a thing, possibly no more than seventeen winters old, she is easy to bundle in the back of my cart. I make sure her chains are secure so there’s no means of escape. She doesn’t struggle. How this girl evokes such fear astonishes me. True her kind exist but I refuse to believe that she could tear me to pieces and rip out my heart – that is the stuff of fairytales.

It’s usual to provide some proof of death, the body for instance but not this time. Not one single drop of her crimson blood is to return to the village. I’m an honourable man so I’ll do as they ask. I will earn the bag of gold that’s stowed away in my cart.

As I drive the horse along the track it clears of people, dust flying up as they hurry towards the safety of their homes. Doors bang shut and the scraping and rasping of furniture being pushed up against them echoes out. As we round the corner and disappear from view a breath-like breeze ruffles my hair as if the villagers sigh in collective relief.

Nine days in and finally I’m posting you a Happy 2017! I’m hoping for and wishing you all a year of love not hate, inclusion not exclusion, peace not war.

I can’t believe I haven’t posted since September last year.Baubles was published in November and is available in paperback and eBook if you fancy reading an interesting selection of short stories including mine, We’re Off To See The Wizard. Go on, you won’t regret it!

Late October we decided to move house in 2017. I have been preoccupied with that and you all know my inability to multi-task so the publishing date ofFailing Flynn Matthews has been delayed. It is about to be sent off for proof reading. Fingers crossed for a February publication date. I will be doing a cover reveal soon!

Meanwhile Ordering Flynn Matthews is still available on Amazon and has wonderful reviews. Thank you to everyone that has read it and also if you’ve taken the time to write a review. I really appreciate it.

My short story Murmuration is in it. It’s about a married couple where one partner has dementia. Although it is a work of fiction its storyline is a personal one.

My mum has dementia. She hasn’t known who I am for a good few years but there are times when she will look at me, smile and say, “I know you don’t I.” For a split second there’s that connection with her, with the past, with what might have been, what we’d be sharing now if she didn’t have the disease.

And then there’s my dad who despite his own health issues cares for her with patience, love and understanding. It can be exhausting however he still finds the time to be there not only for her but for others too.

Murmuration is more heart warming than hard hitting but I hope it gives a little insight into being a carer and shows some of the symptoms a person in the latter stages of dementia may experience, and how those precious moments of recognition are a joy for their family.

A murmuration is a flock of starlings. A talented friend of mine Tina Huckle at Love Alice Photography supplied the beautiful photograph for Murmuration in the book trailer. It was taken on the Somerset Levels.

After a busy summer today is my first day back at ‘work’ and so far so good the procrastinating is going well!

During the summer months I meant to edit the rewrite of Blood Moon but never got round to it plus my laptop died. Apparently five years old in the computer world is elderly! Fortunately I had all my writing saved to a memory stick which is only something I started doing this year, thank goodness. Always back-up at the end of every writing day!

I haven’t managed to hook an agent yet and since my last post where I wrote about having the Blood Rain manuscript requested I’ve had a couple of standard rejections plus three more very positive rejections. When the agent has strayed away from the standard rejection they have commented that although it’s not for them (staying positive it will be for one agent!) they enjoyed it and it stands out from the majority of submissions they receive. I put that down to having Blood Rain professionally edited. I ‘met’ my editor Debz Hobbs-Wyatt when she edited my short story Trojan for On This Day anthology and she was my first thought for editing my novel. She is having a very well deserved successful year and her first novel While No One Was Watching will be published next month! Check out her blog for what an editor does and excellent writing tips!

Before I get back to editing, I shall procrastinate a little more and share that it’s been a fruitful year in my garden with tomatoes, cucumbers, french beans, apples and plums. Here’s my shed hiding in the foliage.

My short story Trojan was published on 21st June 2012 in On This Day, an anthology of short stories. The kindle version will be out in July – date to follow.

Stories had to be linked to a “world stopping event” for the competition. The event was to be the backdrop for the story. Trojan takes place during the London bombings on 07/07/2005.

Trojan

The blast brought clarity to her thoughts. She was no soldier but every day of her life was a fight without hope of defeating the enemy… today fate presented her with the opportunity to win the war. In that moment of truth Meg took her moment to live.

Hastily she left Market Crescent and returned to the scene of the explosion. Traffic was at a standstill, a broken bus was the centre of activity, its roof peeled off and back end open. A fine layer of dust covered everything and the paper that had been flying around before, now lay on the ground. The screaming she had ignored ten minutes earlier was replaced by the wailing sound of sirens. She saw two blood soaked bodies crumpled on the pavement. She ought to help. It would be the right thing to do… that’s what people did when others were in need. Meg shakily picked her way through the rubble. Her right ankle went over as she trod on a broken wing mirror and she grabbed a metal railing to steady herself. The reality of it hit her. With blood on her hands she could not deny what she had done.

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If you want to read more of Trojan and the other stories order your copy by clicking on the book cover below: